[08/05/11 - 08:36 AM]USA Dominates with Best July EverUSA spins the numbers for the month of July.

[via press release from USA]

USA DOMINATES WITH BEST JULY EVER

With Eight Originals on Five Nights A Week, USA Rules the Landscape
With The Biggest Summer
&
Ratings Growth Over Last Year

NEW YORK - August 5, 2011 - USA delivered more total viewers (3.53 million) and households (2.67 million) than any other cable network ever for the month of July and earned the distinction of delivering the biggest July P25-54 audience (1.45 million) ever in basic cable prime. This month's performance for USA among P18-49 (1.32 million) was a victory in all of cable and second only to the network's July 2006 delivery for any basic cable prime network's number for a month of July.

USA earned double-digit growth year to year with an +11% bump in both total viewers and households while P25-54 and P18-49 viewing both increased +9% from July 2010 and P18-34 is up +3%.

USA is pacing to be the only network on cable to deliver 1.5 million P25-54 in the month of July (currently 1.45 million, +30% over #2 TNT), 1 million P18-49 (1.32 million, +37% over #2 HIST), half a million P18-34 (547,000, +20% over #2 FAM), 3 million total viewers (3.53 million, +29% over #2 DSNY) or 2.5 million households (2.67 million, +34% over #2 TNT)**. USA garnered the top household coverage rating in basic cable prime for the month, as well (2.65, +0.67 over #2 TNT). Neither ABC nor CBS managed to deliver more M18-34 this month than USA in primetime.

USA won the total day crown in July, as well, as one of only two networks to deliver over half a million P25-54 (578,000, 8% over #2 TNT) or half a million P18-49 (545,000, 2% over #2 NICK).

More of this month's top 40 entertainment telecasts in basic cable prime were on USA than on any other network for P25-54 (13) and P18-49 (17), driven by seven hit original series each of which has averaged over 1.5 million P25-54, 1.5 million P18-49, half a million P18-34, 4 million total viewers and 3 million households. Further, almost all of the network's titles have over 2 million P25-54, 2 million P18-49, 1 million P18-34 and 5 million total viewers.

USA's July slate of hits easily outshines the mixed performances of originals on either TNT or HIST, averaging 2.45 million P25-54 (+27% more than TNT's / +30% more than HIST's), 2.23 million P18-49 (+40% / +29%), 944,000 P18-34 (+80% / +26%), 5.52 million total viewers (+24% / +52%), and 4.10 million households (+25% / +65%). Most of USA's series also delivered more P18-49 and P18-34 than any scripted series on broadcast with new episodes in July.

· ROYAL PAINS and NECESSARY ROUGHNESS were the most watched original series on television Wednesdays in July among P25-54 (RP 2.75 million / NR 2.31 million), P18-49 (2.47 million / 2.06 million), total viewers (6.17 million / 5.20 million) and households (4.8 million / 3.94 million) and the top two scripted originals for P18-34 (2.47 million / 2.06 million).

· ROYAL PAINS was the 2nd most watched scripted original on television in July among P25-54, placing 3rd overall for the month in P18-49 and households. In the Wednesday 9pm timeslot, when the network aired the series in July, USA was the most watched cable network, beating ABC and CBS as well, among P25-54, P18-49 and P18-34. USA also topped cable and ABC in total viewers and households.

· NECESSARY ROUGHNESS grew from its series premiere to its second week in all key demos, a rare feat for a scripted series. When it ran the series Wednesdays at 10pm in July, USA was second only to NBC in all of television in P18-49 delivery, beating ABC and CBS in P18-34. USA also outperformed ABC and every cable competitor in the hour for P25-54 and total viewers, coming in second only to CBS in households.

· BURN NOTICE and SUITS were the top two original series on cable Thursdays in July among total viewers (BN 6.17 million / Suits 5.57 million) and households (4.47 million / 4.10 million). These were the top two scripted series on cable Thursdays among P25-54 (2.70MM / 2.56MM), P18-49 (2.48 million / 2.43 million) and P18-34 (1.06 million / 1.07 million).

· BURN NOTICE was the most watched scripted series in all of television with new episodes in July in delivering M18-34 (605,000), placing second among these series for P18-49. The series made USA the #1 network in its Thursday 9pm timeslot for M18-49 and total males M2+, placing second only to CBS in P18-49, P25-54, total viewers and households while outperforming ABC, FOX and NBC in P18-34.

· SUITS made USA the #1 television network in its Thursday 10pm timeslot this month among P18-49, P25-54 and P18-34, coming in second only to NBC and beating every cable competitor in total viewers and households.

· COVERT AFFAIRS and WHITE COLLAR were the top two series on cable Tuesdays in July among total viewers (CA 5.82 million / WC 5.11 million) and households (4.28 million / 3.79 million). No other scripted series on television with new episodes Tuesdays in July delivered over 2 million P25-54 (2.58 million / 2.28 million) or 2 million P18-49 (2.31 million / 2.19 million).

· WHITE COLLAR made USA the top network on cable in its Tuesday 9pm timeslot for total viewers, P18-34 and households, beating ABC and CBS in P18-34, CBS in P18-49 and ABC in total viewers and households. The series is trending up year to year with +21% more P25-54, +26% more P18-49, +15% more P18-34, +15% more total viewers and +15% more households tuning into the show's third season to date than to last year's Season 2 in July.

· COVERT AFFAIRS made USA second only to NBC in its Tuesday 10pm timeslot for P25-54 and total viewers, beating ABC and CBS in P18-49 and P18-34. The series is also up year to year for the month of July, bringing in +4% more P25-54, +2% more P18-49, +10% more P18-34, +4% more total viewers and +3% more households.

· IN PLAIN SIGHT delivered more total females F2+ (2.78 million) than any ad-supported original series on television Sundays in July as well as bringing in the biggest F18-34 (382,000) audience for any ad supported scripted series with original episodes on television Sundays. The series outperformed CBS and NBC in its Sunday 10pm timeslot this month for P18-49, beating CBS in P18-34 and NBC in P25-54, total viewers and households, as well.

· WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW made USA the #1 network in all of television in its Monday 9pm-11pm time period among M18-34 (720,000), coming in second only to HIST in M18-49 (1.40 million), M25-54 (1.39 million and total males M2+ (3.15 million). USA was the top network on cable in this timeslot for P18-34 (1.04 million), beating CBS and NBC for P18-49 (2.12 million), NBC for P25-54 and FOX for total viewers.

· USA was the home to cable's hottest acquired series in July as NCIS and LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT delivered more P25-54 (NCIS 976,000 / SVU 972,000), total viewers (2.96 million / 2.50 million) and households (2.29 million / 1.97 million) than any acquired series on cable. These were the top two acquired dramas on cable among P18-49 (SVU 971,000 / NCIS 810,000) and P18-34 (433,000 / 285,000).

(** "Only network on cable" claims based upon projected Live+7 Day DVR viewing data for the remaining weeks of the month.)

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBCUniversal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.